I Joined Pinterest (God help me)

I joined Pinterest recently, and I must say...it's an engrossing, most-likely addictive, fun little time-waster.  I enjoyed pinning and re-pinning for two hours the other day, and it seemed like ten minutes.

This is probably not a good thing. 

But, man, I saw how to make S'mores with Easter Peeps and how to use a rustic branch for hanging up a rolling pin.

I learned how to make reindeer heads out of mini-donuts and how to get the musty smell out of towels.

I've already made a compact cell phone/charger holder out of a spray bottle. 

I'm going to make this very soon.     

Is that beautiful, or what?

I'm amazed at how little I knew until I linked up with Pinterest.   There are millions of images/tutorials that are colorful and creative and so smart.  Crafts and DIY projects galore (these are my favorite.)  There are endless recipes, all of which I want to make tomorrow.   It's like a gigantic, fascinating scrapbook that covers every category from "All things beautiful" to "Zebra Pants."

I'm still learning the ropes.  I think I deleted one of my niece's boards, but I'm going to facebook her and explain I'm still learning to answer my five-month old phone, so the learning curve for me is shallow.

A category of pins I really enjoy is the statement badges, like this one. 

This one yelled at me.  I saw it on a day I had skipped the gym.  I hate to exercise, but I have to, and this little punch in the gut reminded me I really do want to be healthy.  I know this.

I just forget it when I spot things like this.

Which I also found on Pinterest. 

Anyhoo.  A couple hours a week I'm going to hop on the Pinterest Ferris Wheel and puzzle together my perfect kitchen and discover new ways to use lemon wedges and dryer sheets. 

Join me if you'd like! (You probably have recipes/crafts/health tips I'd like to steal.)  Click on the red baseball (above, right) to see my Pinterest page.

(You can "pin" the Ballpark to one of your boards by clicking here: PIN the BALLPARK)

Let's hang out in cyberspace.  We'll be like Flat (Screen) Stanleys traveling the universe, discovering all kinds of cool stuff.  And it's free!    

I'm off now to make a palm tree out of fruit salad.

Have you discovered Pinterest?

Into the Word 3

Into the Word Wednesday was created by these inspirational women.  Check out their links and join in if you'd like!                              
                                   Falen and Laura at Upward, not Inward

Sarah at Fontenot Four

Kelly at The Houtz House Party

Becky at Tales For Ashes

Kelly at Exceptionalistic

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

I'm a little bummed today.  Here's why:

1.  I've gained ten pounds this past year.  My cholesterol is way up, and I have to go on niacin therapy.   I have a tender, swollen thumb joint that's probably arthritis or bursitis, or some other "itis" that I'm likely going to have to live with.  I know all this good news because I had my annual check-up yesterday. 

2.  The upkeep on our house is a getting the better of me this month, and lately, I don't care.

3.  I have to finish writing my book, and I'm dragging my feet, because once I'm done...I have to find a publisher.  That's when the real work begins.

4.  My birthday is next month, and I tell ya', I'm feeling my age.  And older.

5.  I'm always tired, and I'm tired of being tired.

In light of the latest Colorado tragedy, these are piddly things.  I know this.  But, in reality, I can't do anything about the victims in Colorado, except pray for all involved (which I'm doing.)

In my life, with my issues, I have to do stuff.  Like take more pills, put up with side effects, stop eating cupcakes (probably stop baking them), deep clean, discipline my writing self, and reconcile fatigue and aging.

For whatever reason - today, it's all discouraging.

Then, I read this verse in my daily devotional:

In everything, give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  1 Thes. 5:18

Hmm.  Well, then. 

This is not a new verse in my life.  I know we are to be grateful for everything.  But, initially, I just gripe about negative/burdensome/painful things.  It always takes me a while to remember God is the healer of all ailments/problems/tragedies.  He does not cause afflictions (that's the free will thing), but He can use them for good in our lives. That's what He calls us to be grateful for.  The fact that, in His loving, sovereign hands, nothing is wasted. 

In my reworded God-speak, He's saying "Your human condition is just one piece of the operation. The project is not complete until I weave it all together.  Trust me. I'm working on one spectacular tapestry."

So, while God weaves, I'll keep plugging along, trying to eat better and stay on top of things here in the Ballpark.  I'll stay the course on completing my book.  I'll work on accepting lumpy joints and other delights of aging.     

I know there's a cozy, healing blanket in the works.  And for that, I'm thankful.  

Heartbreak....again

I've been sitting here for a while thinking how to start.  It's just so awful.  Again.

This time, it was a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. 

Yesterday, I watched the Colorado governor speak from the podium twice, and he stumbled for words both times.  I welled up watching him, because I was right with him.  Speechless and rambley at the same time.

After two days of news from Aurora, our TV is now tuned to some pre-Olympics stuff.   Not because we don't care anymore, but because the heart is raw.   And, although it seems somehow disrespectful,  life does go on.

For the coming months, the questions will be pressing:  who is James Holmes?  Why did he want to kill innocent people?  Is he insane?  What are his parents like?  What kind of upbringing did he have?  Why did he want to kill innocent people?  Did he really think he was the Joker?  Who are his friends?  Did anyone see this coming?  Why did he want to kill innocent people?  Was he on drugs?  Could this have been prevented?  Why did he want to kill innocent people?

Like after Columbine and other public square shootings, we're left with nothing but heartache and questions.  We've witnessed the worst of mankind, and we must understand it.  We must place these events in an explainable, categorized box, so we can regain some sense of control.  If we can just understand the why behind these tragedies, surely we can prevent them.

So, we start again.  Witnesses from the theater, injured and uninjured, will share their experiences.  The medical teams will retrieve evidence from torn flesh.  Law enforcement officials will interrogate.  Therapists and analysts will probe and document.  The Holmes family will be scrutinized.   

In the end, we will gain more facts and knowledge, but not necessarily more understanding.  No matter the factors (and there might be many) that led James Holmes to kill, we will not accept them as valid.  In a civilized society, no level of hatred or disorder will validate gunning down unsuspecting families in a movie theater.  On the day an action such as this becomes understandable, we will, as a nation, have lost our soul.

So, even without complete answers, we will do what Americans do best.  We will pray for and support the Aurora community.  We will share in mourning the loss of the twelve.  We will send cards and money to the victims and their families.  We will root for the injured when they begin their physical therapy.  We will follow their stories and read the books some will write about their horrific ordeal.

We will follow the trial of James Holmes and pray that justice will be served.

We will try to forgive.  Because, the root intention of a human heart is transparent only to God.   

We will move forward.  Because, life does go on. 

Dropping the Backpack

 

Years ago, I attended a youth group meeting with my sister and my nephews.  The youth pastor was talking to the teens about the challenges they were dealing with as emerging adults: peer pressure, difficulties at home, dating drama, academics, self-esteem issues, long-term goals, etc.

I sat there thinking, I'm so glad I'm not a teenager anymore.  The teen years are full of disappointments and angst.

But, then the pastor referenced Matthew 11:30, which reads, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  He went on to say that the world is full of trouble; Jesus told us we'd have trouble.  He also said He has overcome the world.

The pastor reiterated Matthew 11:30 in his own words. "God's burden is light.  That means...if your burden is heavy, it's not from God."

I spent a long time thinking about this.  I didn't have teenage burdens, but I certainly had adult burdens.  My husband and I were still in the throes of raising three children and hoping to get it right; we were always pinching pennies; the Air Force moved us every few years; and we rarely lived close to family.  Not life-threatening stuff, but things about which I was always praying.  The truth is, life often feels burdensome.

This young pastor changed my perspective.  His words made me realize if I was feeling burdened, I had not given God my backpack of concerns.  I needed to let the thing slide off my shoulders.  I needed to - literally - lighten up.  Light is from God; heavy is not.

Our shoulders and hearts are not designed to carry heavy; we're stick people with short-term brains and breakable hearts.  God's shoulders are made of granite; His heart and mind cannot be moved, nor broken.  He alone can lift up the burdens of this world.

Once I processed this, I had a sense of liberation.  God did not create me to be worried and burdened.  He created me to rejoice in His strength and willingly give Him the backpack.  That's my job.  

Just give Him the backpack.

Once it begins to feel heavy, hand it over.

Over the years, I've remembered this at times and forgotten it at others.  We cling to our backpacks because we forget that God is trustworthy.  We simply forget.  Because, we're stick people with distractable brains and fickle hearts.

Luckily, God loves us anyway and keeps reaching for the crippling backpacks.  "Let it go," He whispers.  Sometimes we wrestle Him over it, which is really silly.  Granite vs. sticks.  Solid vs. inconsistent.  Strong vs. weak.

We're so human.  And He's so not.

And, isn't that great? 

 p.s. what's in your backpack today?  What's keeping you from handing it over? 
 

Friday Flashback #2

I shake my head every time I read this.  It's just sad.  Feb. 4, 2011...

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   

I have a great meatloaf recipe that is full of pork fat, cow fat, cheese fat, and mayo fat.   It's delicious, thank you very much, Paula Deen.   

I normally bake this 2-pound fat concoction in one loaf pan.  But I always wonder if it's done in the middle, because it's one hunk of meat.  

Last week, I decided to split the fat between two loaf pans, ensuring thorough cooking and minimizing cook time.  

So we could ingest the cholesterol sooner.  

It worked beautifully.

I pulled out the first loaf pan and transferred it to the cooling board with my silicone potholder, which my husband calls the Gator Grip...  

...and promptly dropped the pan into the dish water.  

The pan sizzled, and the suds gushed in as the pan sank in a cock-eyed fashion.   

I swooped it out, but it was too late.  All that yummy fat...ruined.

 
In a wild and harebrained moment, I wondered if I could squeeze dish soap out of ground meat. 

My husband entered the kitchen at the moment and paused.  "What is that?"

"Meatloaf with dish water," I replied.

He thought about this.  "Is that what we're having for dinner?"

"Yes."

He didn't even look fazed.  "Hhmm.  Can't you just rinse it off?  It'll be OK."

We hate to waste good fat.  

I pressed my hand against the meat and turned it upside down over the sink to let the dish water spill out.  The loaf broke apart and plopped in the sink like canned dog food.  

It was disgusting.  I won't even post a picture of it.   

I've never dropped meatloaf in the dish water before.   I blame it on the Gator Grip.  Which, apparently, isn't that gripping.  

It works great with a cookie sheet, broiler pan, hot plate, trivet.  Any item that slides into it horizontally. 

Loaf pan?  Not so much. 

Just so you know.   In case you have a Gator Grip.  

Don't let your fat go down the drain. 

  
p.s.  I used a dish towel to remove the second meatloaf from the oven.  How nice that I made two, instead of one.  Sometimes I just luck out. 

 

What's Your Idol?

Growing up, I understood idols to be gold cows and silver coins and men lusting after women who were not their wives.  I didn't own any cows (of any color) or silver, and men were just rude, I thought.  So, idols weren't a problem for me.

Thirty-plus years later, I get it.  I still don't have any cows or silver, and I still believe that, yes, men can be rude.  So can women, but that's another post.

But, my, oh my, how God reveals the heart...if we ask Him to.

Years ago, a pastor defined an idol as whatever we can't live without.  Because, the only thing that should have such a hold on us is God.

Under that definition, things look a bit different, don't they? 

This pastor was not saying we can't have things in life we enjoy, cherish, and love - like hobbies, people, and chocolate.   Life is a gift, and we are meant to celebrate it while we're here.  

But, we have to be careful that whatever we're devoted to does not rise above our honoring of and devotion to God, who gave us life itself.  Because, in the end, everything but God will turn to dust.  Even people.  God is the constant.  The only eternal element.

That Gucci bag?  It's temporary.

Those eight pairs of heels?  Temporary. 

Starbucks?  Temporary.

Supple skin, perky breasts, and silky hair?  (Yes, we can be our own god.)  Temporary.  (How well I know this.)

Fettuccine Alfredo, homemade bread, good wine, Nutella?  After spending a few decades on your hips....temporary.  

My house.  My PT Cruiser.  The big screen TV.   The NFL.  The NBA.  The Housewives of Wherever.  Even (sigh) my LOST DVDs.   All temporary.  Future dust.  

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, even (gasp) blogs - in the end, they won't matter.  We won't care.

This pastor offered two questions that generally reveal our idols.

1.  What do we spend our time on?
2.  What do we spend our money on?

Those are the things we value.  If we can't live without them.....well.

Something to ponder.

I know what my idols are, and I swat at them daily.  They're persistent little buggers.  They are highly ingrained desires that are not in themselves bad, I just spend too much time with them. (Beware: on the surface, idols always look attractive and harmless.) 

So, for all us idol worshipers, here's my prayer:

Dear Lord, help me to remember that only You and your love for me can ultimately satisfy my longing, human heart.  The glitter/vices of this world are deceptive and fleeting.  Help me be grateful for all that You provide, but to keep in the forefront of my mind to use my resources wisely.  Help me to keep things in perspective.  Help me to invest in things of eternal value.  Help me to put nothing before my relationship with You.  And, let no one bring home any M&Ms this week.

Amen.    

Cookie Thoughts

We went to a Chinese buffet for Mom's birthday.  After the five of us stuffed ourselves silly, we cracked open our fortune cookies.

Interesting reading....

1. My father got this:  I would rather attempt something great and fail than attempt to do nothing and succeed.  

First of all, is this a fortune?   I'm not sure.  However, the first part seems true.  The second part seems goofy.

2.  Our daughter opened this one:  Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. 

We all went "whoooaaaa" because our daughter has been in transition this past year.  She moved back home when a chosen path she'd invested three years in did not work out.   It's not the kind of experience she wanted, but by the love of God, she's plowed her way through and is beginning to see a pretty good Plan B.

3.  My husband got this: Good luck is often with the man who doesn't include it in his plans. 

Again, not a fortune.  But, good advice.  This was appropriate for my husband, who works very hard in management and often has to resolve all kinds of diddly-do with customers.  If good luck comes his way, he's happy, but he doesn't expect it.  People are just too squirrelly.

4.  This was mine:  Wait for it.  There will be a big change today.

Hmmm.  Kind of a fortune.  I waited all day.  The only thing I could come up with was that tropical storm Debby had moved on, and I was able to hang clothes on the line.  After a week of rain, this was a nice change, so I'll take it.  I would have preferred to have won the lottery, but I guess experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

5.  Mom, who's 92, opened her cookie and giggled.  Then she read: There's a good chance of a romantic encounter soon. 

Now, that's a fortune.   

p.s. have you ever received a good "fortune" in your cookie?

92 Years and Counting

A special birthday for Jane!

Whose PJs are fancy, not plain

She’s now ninety-two

She once had the flu

Her favorite bread is whole grain

Jane and OT therapist at the Cake Walk

Jane is busy these days

She walks and reads and prays

She sorts and she files

To clear out the piles

Her sweet suite is quite the maze

Jane loves her big, new pillow

It’s wedgy; its incline is shallow

It keeps her back straight

Which straightens her gait

This helps with her stops and her go.

Janey still loves to write

She prefers that to flying a kite

She loves Chinese food

No matter the mood

But chocolate?  Oh, just a bite.

At ninety-two, Jane’s learned a lot

Some things are better forgot

Still, she feels blessed

with all of the rest

She’s grateful for all that God’s taught.

The End.  

Love you, Mom